House of Paine

after 9/11 airline low jinks persist

 better  airport passenger  security?



"can we be doing more ?
then lets do it "

prez bush



  well 

  not if doin more
  cost  airlines 
        any of their 
hard earned  dollars 





========================================


la times march 19 2005 

" Despite warnings by security experts 
that long lines at Los Angeles International Airport
are vulnerable to a terrorist attack
 airline  officials have concluded 
that the staff cannot be added 
to significantly shorten queues 
in the next few years.

Rand Corp. recommended last fall 
that airlines  
hire more people 
to speed travelers 
from sidewalks and terminal lobbies 
into the more secure gate areas 
as the quickest and cheapest 
means to increase security for passengers


But in documents obtained by The Times
  airline  top officials 
advised the City Council 
that a third more airline workers 
and screeners would be needed 
an increase that's not feasible.

according to rand 
Long lines at airports 
are the single greatest vulnerability 
that we have in the domestic U.S.
 at the moment


The General Accounting Office 
released a report this week 
that said 
heightened screening procedures 
and truck sized
detection machines 
now in airport lobbies
  creat larger  crowds 
and 
 put  more passengers at risk. 

In the '70s, gangs in Europe
 entered airports 
and machine-gunned
 and killed people

Terrorists know 
if they do the same
  today
 it would be highly publicized

 


The wide-ranging Rand report
 considered the potential casualties
 from car bombs, mortars,
 snipers and surface-to-air missiles 
as a first measure
 Rand urged the airlines 
                    to reduce crowds 

  Average waits at ticket counters 
are now about 40 minutes 
during peak travel times.

dramatically contradicting
the airlines own estimates
Rand said that only 5%
 more airline employees 
were necessary to reduce lines
 to a target waiting time
 of five to seven minutes. 
not the airlines estimated
 33% increase 
-----------------------------------

-------------kiosks are cheaper ----------------
 

The airlines want 
 to install more self-service kiosks 
that  let passengers 
obtain boarding passes themselves

and not coincidentally
save on airline 
"  processing payroll "

is there a conflict here?

 A recent study showed
 that about 23% of passengers
 checking in at LAX 
last year used the kiosks
but more signifigantly
 rates of kiosk use 
rise dramatically
 when long lines 
            start getting  longer
         at the "manned" check in desks
 
 
 
Rand researchers  noted
 that even with 
 the airline veto 
         LAX itself
       "was trying...
           at least they asked
                     us  to take a look "

that makes LAX  
 the only one 
           of the country's 
429 commercial facilities 
        to ask 
         for a public study 
                of its security problems

"Yeah, we may find LAX vulnerable," 
 a Rand  official said  
"But at least they're up front 
about the airline veto zones
and as to their own areas
 They're doing 
  the best i've seen  
— they're trying to fix 
that perimeter fence.
 You look at the perimeter fence 
around San Francisco or boston 
                         and say, 'Sheesh.' " 


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